Evaluation of Diammonium Phosphate as a Source of Nitrogen for Ruminants

Summary

Urea and DAP were compared with respect to their toxicity to lambs, their effect on blood NH-₃N in lambs and steers, and retention of their nitrogen by lambs. Much higher nitrogen equivalent doses of DAP than of urea were required to produce adverse effects in lambs. Blood NH₃-N increases were significantly lower following treatment with DAP than with urea, in both lambs and steers. Administration of urea to lambs was followed by a sharp rise in rumen pH, but the rise in pH following DAP was very slight. Twenty-four-hour nitrogen excretion trials and 5-day nitrogen balance studies showed no significant difference in the retention of nitrogen of the two compounds by lambs.